Considers the emergence of science fiction as a popular genre in the 20th century

Looks at the ways in which changes in science and technology affect human perception and behaviour

Explores science fiction in film and literature and compares the two media

Considers the wider social and political issues raised by science fiction writers

Looks at a wide range of science fiction in literature, drama, poetry, and film

Explores science fiction as a global phenomenon that constantly evolves and changes in times of rapid technological and political change

Science Fiction has proved notoriously difficult to define. It has been explained as a combination of romance, science and prophecy; as a genre based on an imagined alternative to the reader's environment; and as a form of fantastic fiction and historical literature.

It has also been argued that science fiction narratives are the most engaged, socially relevant, and responsive to the modern technological environment. This Very Short Introduction doesn't offer a history of science fiction, but instead ties examples of science fiction to different historical moments, in order to demonstrate how science fiction has evolved over time.

David Seed looks not only at literature, but also at drama and poetry, as well as film. Examining recurrent themes in science fiction he looks at voyages into space, the concept of the alien and alternative social identities, the role of technology in science fiction, and its relation to time - in the past, present, and future.

Readership: General readers interested in science fiction, students of literature, film, and culture.

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戴維·锡德 英國學者、文學批評傢，利物浦大學教授。多年從事科幻教學與研究工作，主要研究領域為科幻作品、冷戰文化、間諜小說，以及文學與電影的關係。著有《美國科幻與冷戰》（1999）、《電影小說》（2011）、《陰影之下：原子彈與冷戰敘事》（2013）、《雷•布 拉德伯裏》（2015）等研究專著，編有《科幻小說指南》（2005）等文集。